Tradition

Rola Cola Sponsored English League Two

Crewe Alexandra FC 2 - 2 Rochdale AFC

Journey

The festive season is jam packed with traditions.  Most of them involve eating and drinking until you can't move under your own power.  This usually leads neatly to the great Christmas tradition of the afternoon nap - for the ladies anyway - gentlemen don't nap, they just 'rest their eyes' - for several hours, whilst making a noise like chainsaw.

Rochdale fans also have a number of festive traditions.  Typically these involve eulogising an unlikely but impressive early season win against a fancied team, lamenting an improbably crushing defeat (or two), picking over three indecently early cup exits and bemoaning the long term injury of [insert name here].  Having chewed that lot over for a while it is permissable to speculate that a 'good run' and a couple of decent loaners may just about see Dale into the play-off's.  With a bit of luck.

Disappointingly, this season has singularly failed to deliver the required menu of 'almost', 'might have been' and 'if only'.  Dale sit seven points clear at the top of League Two - with the best goal difference, joint best defensive record and most goals scored.  So, what do you do when you can't fall back on moaning and self delusion?  Well there is another tradition - Boxing Day football.  The grandest and most ancient tradition of the Littleborough Debating and Choral Society. 

So it was that I collected Mr. Turner, Mr. Keane and Mary and headed south a little before one - elsewhere, Playboy Dan, Amancalledshaun and Playboy jnr. also began the journey to Crewe - and at around ten to three Mr. Mitchell departed Newhey, following a brisk spell of proving that Einstein was indeed just a silly old man - he would take his seat in Gresty Road at five to three.

For those of us who were travelling in the regular three dimensions of time and space and at much less than the speed of light - it took a little over an hour.  During this time another grand and ancient tradition came to an end.  Neither Mr. Keane or Mr. Turner complained about the music in my car.  Not once.  That is probably because I had left my I-Pod at home.  Well, it is Christmas.

Weather

In God's Country we had a William Hill approved White Christmas - it snowed on Christmas Day.  However, in the sub-tropical climes of Crewe - no sign of the stuff.  Blueish skies, hazy sunshine and temperatures (just) above zero throughout the game.

Food

The traditions of the pie queue are so ancient they have become unspoken laws.  Chief among these is queueing.  The rule is simple - join at the back - wait your turn.  Sadly this didn't happen today - there was queue jumping.  There is however a tradition which deals with this - no, not asking them to join the back of the queue (we're British you know) - you simply comment very loudly to a fellow queuer (Mr. Culshaw in this case) that someone has pushed in until the miscreant retires suitably red faced.  Season of god will?  When a Chicken Balti pie is at stake, I think not.

Ground

This my first visit to Gresty Road.  First impressions were very good.  A nice big carpark right next to the ground - pay and display - but worth every penny.  Two small all seater stands occupy the ends - albeit pretty much empty.  An elderly looking all seater stand on one side would house the 1200 Dale fans who had made the trip - including a handsome selection of people in fancy dress.

Then there is the main stand.  It completely dwarf's the rest of the ground.  Having clambered all the way to the top row of seats - where the commentary positions were located - I had to pause for breath.  For about ten minutes.  A cracking view though - which included Jodrell Bank and most of Cheshire.  

News

Aloan again.  Jason Taylor and Will Atkinson extend their loan spells at Spotland unil the end of January.

Back to what you know.  Adam Rundle returns from his loan spell at Rotherfield.  That bench isn't going to polish itself you know.

It's not you - it's me.  Clark Keltie is released from his contract at Dale by mutual consent.  Probably for the best all round.

Action

Your team for today:

GK: Heaton

Def: Flynn, Dawson, Stanton, Kennedy(T)

Mid: Thompson, Taylor, Kennedy(J), Atkinson

For: Dagnall, O'Grady

Bench: Taberner, McArdle, Toner, Jones, Hagan, Glover, Higginbotham

A training injury to Scott Wiseman would hand Matt Flynn his first start since the win over Notts County.  Other than that no changes for Dale.  

In spite of the dizzying height of the commentary area and handy access to Jodrell Bank - would the commentary equipment pick up a signal?  Nope.  So, no commentary today.  However,  it did give me the chance to read the program.  It turns out that Rochdale's last league meeting with Crewe was in 1994 - which Dale won 2-1 at Spotland.  However, the last league visit to Gresty Road ended in a 2-1 win for the Railwaymen.  There was a meeting in the Johnstone's Paint Tin in 2006 at Spotland - which was 1-1 at full time - but the Alex managed to win through on penalties.  Nathan Stanton and Chris Dagnall both played that day - Adam Rundle was predictably on the bench.  In short, Dale don't play Crewe very often - the above facts, as sparse as they are, aren't that interesting - I'm just filling space.  Sorry.

Mercifully, before I could wade into Dale and the Alex' first league encounter (interestingly 26th December 1921) - Mr. Langford got things underway.  Perhaps I should have stuck to the program.  Dale traditionally start brightly - but not today.  Crewe had done their homework.  The Railwaymen closed Rochdale down at every turn forcing hurried, misdirected passes from the visitors.  Last week I waxed lyrical about Dale's passing - today it just wasn't happening - on the other hand the Alex weren't having any such problems.  On two minutes Calvin Zola had the ball in the net for the home team - Dale were only saved by a questionable off-side decision.

Zola along with his striking partner Donaldson generated chance after chance for the home side.  Only wayward finishing, frantic defending and a couple of sharp saves from Heaton kept the Railwaymen from taking the lead.  Dale created a couple of chances of their own through Jason Kennedy and Chris Dagnall - Dagnall couldn't make contact from six yards to turn home a Flynn cross - but other than that the majority of the play was in the Dale half and dictated by Crewe.  When halftime rolled up and the score was still 0-0, I was more than a little relieved.

Aside of shaming queue jumpers whilst waiting for my chicken balti pie I indulged in another tradition.  Texting Mr. Turner for his thoughts on the game so far.  He didn't think it was so bad.  I may have suggested he was misguided - or words broadly to that effect.  Fortunately, before I could become embroiled in Mr. Turner's doubtlessly fascinating justification - the second half began.

It semed that words had been had in the Rochdale dressing room during half time - Dale restarted with more purpose.  Within minutes Dale almost benefitted from a festive gift as Matt Tootle came within inches of putting the ball in his own net.   

Minutes later Rochdale took the lead.  Dale had forced a sequence of corners early in the half - the third of which found Craig Dawson lurking at the back post.  A customarily clinical finish saw our Craig move to nine goals for the season.  1-0 Dale!

Crewe rallied after going behind and in next to no time Nathan Stanton got into the Christmas spirit by playing in Donaldson with an under cooked back pass - only a brave save from Heaton averted disaster.  With twenty minutes left on the clock, the Alex' struck back.  From a sharply taken freekick The ball pinballed around inside the Dale area - it seemed that the ball had finally been hammered away, but only as far as Westwood on the edge of the area.  His shot on the turn evaded a forrest of bodies before flying into the bottom corner.  1-1.

Just three minutes later - Dale were back in the lead.  A move down the Rochdale left seemed to have broken down when O'Grady was dispossesed.  But the ball squirmed away from the challenge and fell to recent substitute Kallum Higginbotham.  From around twenty yards, he took a touch, he looked, he let fly.  Phillips saw it coming - but his acrobatic lunge was just too late.  2-1 Dale!    

I didn't have long to think about what an unlikely Christmas present this would be.  Crewe equalised - again.  A missed challenge by Tom Kennedy set the Railwaymen loose down the Dale left.  The ball was slipped through to Donaldson who fired a low shot goalward, Heaton did well to parry - but Tootle had cantered forward from full-back and had the simple task of poking the ball into the unguarded net.  2-2.

...and so it ended.

Speak Your Brains

Your cast for today:  Mr. Keane, Mr. Turner, Myself and special guest starring: Playboy Dan

Not a great start today - I have seldom seen Dale lose the ball so freely or defend so indecisively.  As is the tradition, I was in a minority of one on this.

Craig Dawson - centre half - nine goals for the season - by Christmas!  Awesome.

Being marooned at the top of Mt. Mainstand I missed the fancy dress display.  Mr Keane had however taken a picture of 'Bucket Man'.  A man, with a plastic bucket on his head, painted with the words 'Bury FC'.  Ahh - our oldest tradition - poking fun at 'that famous old club'.

The second half was probably the best 45 minutes of football I have seen all season.  A win would have been good - but a draw was the right result.  Fair play to Crewe - Mr Gradi seems to be working his magic again.

Higgibotham's finish!  People are fretting about the potential sale of Buckley.  Fret ye not!  Higgy is back.

Because Mr.  Turner favoured us with his presence today, he probably thinks he is going to get a big write-up...  Surprise.

Dale are still five points clear at the top of League Two.  Time for some new traditions perhaps?